News

Keeping up with cloud computing

Posted in AU on 13th April 2016

Share:

The cloud is now an established part of the IT landscape, and is becoming integrated into a variety of the computing processes that businesses undertake. It is also a quickly developing technology that is always making new demands from the people who work with it.

In order to keep up with the changes of cloud computing and the effect this has on business operations, Australian companies need to maintain an awareness of the IT environment and ensure they are equipped to adapt.

Shifts in the atmosphere

Cloud computing has always been a complex service for businesses to come to terms with. Gartner’s research Vice President Chris Howard points out that cloud computing is not just a singular manifestation, but a multifaceted phenomenon.

“Cloud computing is actually a spectrum of things complementing one another and building on a foundation of sharing. Inherent dualities in the cloud computing phenomenon are spawning divergent strategies for cloud computing success,” he says.

In addition to this complexity, there are several types of cloud that can be utilised and personalised by businesses.

“The public cloud, hybrid clouds, and private clouds now dot the landscape of IT based solutions. Because of that, the basic issues have moved from ‘what is cloud’ to ‘how will cloud projects evolve,'” says Mr. Howard.

One way that many businesses are responding to cloud evolution is by changing the type of services they use. According to the RightScale’s 2016 State of the Cloud report, 71 per cent of respondents are now adopting the hybrid cloud to manage their information.

Using a hybrid cloud involves hosting data on a mix of private and public platforms, rather than primarily on the public cloud as before. This shift from public to hybrid reflects the way that business processes adapt as the technology matures.

How can businesses accommodate cloud evolution?

In order to keep up with the constant changes to the cloud and ensure their operations are cloud-optimised, businesses need to cultivate the right skills within their team to help them manage the technology.

Data collected by Forbes from a CEB labour market analysis reveals several cloud computing skills that are in demand today. These include expertise in Linux, Java and virtualisation.

By promoting these skills among their IT specialists, companies will be able to continue to harness the cloud as a useful and efficient tool for business processes, and strive to be a part of the future of computing.